BSU has San Diego State's back

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BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) - Boise State's New Year's Eve announcement made them the 11th football-playing member in the Mountain West Conference. While the Big Ten played with that odd number for more than 20 years, the Mountain West plans to make it an even dozen, if not more.

According to Boise State's new deal with the Mountain West, the conference will extend an option for San Diego State to join before moving onto any other school. That first-right window expires at the end of the month. Boise State President Dr. Bob Kustra thought it was only right to give them an opportunity to come back.

"One thing that's clear is that Boise State did feel strongly enough about it's partner San Diego State to put it in the agreement that the next school that the Mountain West should consider would be San Diego State. Were it not for San Diego State we would have never been able to work out the original Big East agreement, because it was San Diego State that's played such a huge role in our getting into the Big West. So it was important to us to honor friendships and hang with people who have been loyal to you," said Kustra.

According to a report by ESPN's Brett McMurphy, a Mountain West source said, The votes are not there for San Diego State." The source believes the conference would prefer BYU.

That shouldn't come as a surprise. Both the Big East and Mountain West have tried to work things out with the Cougars, but home media rights were always an issue. The Mountain's new-found flexibility might give negotiations new life, but they can't start until San Diego State's window closes on January 31, 2013.